Is Croydon in Surrey or is Croydon in South London?

As anyone who knows the borough will tell you, the debate over where Croydon is has been a matter of fierce debate for decades.

Croydon Council has been part of Greater London since 1965, but the Royal Mail map still has the town within the Surrey county.

A Croydon Advertiser poll of residents living in South Croydon, Purley, Kenley, Coulsdon and Sanderstead found more than six in ten (62 per cent) preferred to say they lived in Surrey, despite the boundary shift.

When asked 'Do you tell people your town is in Croydon, London or Surrey?' 44 out of 70 answered the latter.

Some responders believed the towns were still part of Surrey while others simply wished they were, while the trend was most pronounced in Kenley, where seven out of ten of those asked opted for the Home County.

Paul Sandford, chair of local history group the Bourne Society, deemed the results 'not at all surprising'.

He said: "If we had a referendum today we would probably choose to come out of Croydon and go back into Surrey."

Reasons for the lingering attachment, Mr Sandford added, included proximity, the county's many charms, and nostalgia for the relative independence of the Surrey days, when the towns were joined under the Coulsdon and Purley Urban District Council.

"A lot of people hanker after that era," added Mr Sandford.

"Probably if you examined it closely, it was not all that rosy. But we had a certain amount of autonomy to look after our own affairs.

"I was brought up in an area that had good education - successive governments have messed that about."

Further misting the rose-tinted spectacles is the fact many people and businesses use their historic county for their mailing addresses - although perhaps not for much longer.

Royal Mail announced in 2010 that county names are to be deleted from its database, leaving Croydon residents relying on the CR0 post code, denoting South London.

Indeed, 'It is written on my post' was one of the top reasons given by survey responders - closely followed by Croydon's maligned reputation.

Coulsdon history enthusiast Martin Miles - who previously left central Croydon for the 'calmer' south - said: "Croydon has a big stigma attached.

"On holiday if you tell someone you are from Croydon, the reaction is, 'ooh, you're from Croydon'.

"Many things are associated with Croydon - stabbings and shootings - that started long before the riots."

Tony Farrell, committee member of the Purley and Woodcote Residents' Association, added: "People often answer Surrey because of the perception of the inner town. It is on record what people think of Croydon."

The battles over the boundary changes continued long after 1965, when Croydon changed from Surrey to Greater Londer.

  • 'The Green Belt is safer with Surrey', reported the Coulsdon and Purley Times on May 13, 1966. "There is a growing feeling," the paper said, "That before long, the Greater London Council will be forced to start looking around for portions of Green Belt which can be used - without too much uproar - for housing."
  • 'Residents fight to get back in Surrey', screamed The Coulsdon and Purley Advertiser on November 4, 1966. "The borough’s big boundary battle began this week as four areas from the Coulsdon and Purley urban district started their fight to return to Surrey," the paper said. It told how The Coulsdon West Residents’ Association wanted to keep the northern part of Hooley in Croydon as it has "valuable open space for recreation, which is needed in their district".
  • '1,200 more favour move for Kenley’s return to Surrey', reported the Coulsdon and Purley Times on October 28, 1966. The chairman of the Whyteleafe and Kenley Residents’ Association felt Croydon Council was 'too big an authority', and that 'councillors cannot be really closely in touch with local residents'.
  • '"Did we make the right decision," asks association chairman?' was a headline in the Coulsdon and Purley Times of June 3, 1966. The paper reported how the Roke and East Purley Residents’ Association was surveying its 600 members to ask if they agreed with its decision to oppose associations wanting to go back to Surrey. The chairman, Mr Esnouf, felt being part of Croydon was a "more effective arrangementespecially with regard to education and general services," the paper reported.

The results of the Croydon Advertiser poll:

When asked, do you tell people that your town is in Croydon or Surrey?

  • Kenley 14 Surrey 6 Croydon
  • Coulsdon 12 Surrey 6 Croydon
  • Purley 11 Surrey 9 Croydon
  • Sanderstead 5 Surrey 5 Croydon

Top three reasons for saying Surrey:

  • It is written on my mail
  • We are closer to Surrey
  • I do not like Croydon

Top reasons for saying Croydon

  • It is better known
  • We are part of Croydon
  • I use Croydon regularly